Presentation on how to make pottery

Science Presentation on the making of Pottery

Part 1 – Introduction – W. [30 secs]

Part 2 – Definition-

Pottery consists of objects that are first shaped of wet clay, then hardened by baking. Pottery includes both decorative and practical items such as bowls, vases, dishes, and lamps. Four steps are needed to make a pottery product: preparing the clay mixture, shaping the clay, decorating and glazing the item, and firing (baking). The firing temperature gives pottery its finished appearance and its strength.

There are three major pottery types: (1) earthenware, (2) stoneware, and (3) porcelain. Each type is distinguished by its clay mixture and the temperature at which it is baked or fired.

Part 3 – Types of Pottery – – [45 secs]

There are many different types of clay. Variences in clay are a direct result of the materials that were broken down to form raw clay.

Porcelain clay is one of the purer forms of clay, basically composed of kaolin.This type of clay vitrifies at higher temperature ranges from 2300 degrees F and can withstand much higher firing temperatures without melting or slumping. Porcelain clay when fired is very white.


Stoneware clay is a courser form of high firing clay containing kaolin as well as, lower firing clays. It may also include iron, which results in it's off white to reddish appearance before and after firing. This clay can also be formulated to withstand
temperatures equal to porcelain.


Earthenware clay is considered low fire clay. It vitrifies at much lower temperatures 1000 degrees F, but can melt to a liquid as low as 1300 degrees F.

Part 3 – Tools used in making pottery – – [1 min]

talks about and introduces the : potters wheel [old and new], the rolling pin, the potter’s ribs, the sculpting thumb, the basic tools of a potter, the plastic sculpting set plastic sculpting set
And a plethora of others.

Part 4 : Making pottery “then”-
*Uses chart while acts out”

Part 5 : The Actual Making of Pottery -
Potters start their work with lumps of moist clay and end it with finished pieces of pottery. The means by which such ends are accomplished vary widely and what follows should be regarded as an outline of one sequence of operations sometimes followed, chosen from the many that are practised. Besides the simpler , four stpe method that mentioned earlier this is a more elaborate and complex method we will demonstrate.
- Preparing the clay.
A portion of clay is kneaded until it is thoroughly mixed and of even moisture content throughout. If at this stage the clay is too dry to use, water is added, and if the clay is too wet, it is allowed to dry out to the condition required. After mixing, the clay is wedged to remove entrapped air. When wedging clay by hand a ball of the material is thrown repeatedly onto a hard surface, to drive out the air. Mixing and wedging are operations that can be carried out by hand, or mechanical mixers and wedging machines may be used. [Machines used for wedging clay are called pug-mills.]
– Shaping the wares
Wares may be shaped by hand, by using the hands in conjunction with a machine such as a potter's wheel or by mechanical means alone. Other methods of shaping are also used, including slip-casting and pressing.
- Drying and finishing.
After shaping it is common for pottery wares to be air-dried to a leather-hard condition and finished by trimming off unwanted clay on a wheel, or perhaps by sandpapering the surface of the ware to a fine finish. Shaped but still unfired pottery is called greenware.
- First or bisque firing.
Greenwares are fragile and are sometimes given a first or bisque firing to harden them for convenient handling and to reduce the risk of breakage during glazing and decorating. In this condition the ware is called biscuit-ware or bisque-ware. Temperatures used for bisque-firing may be either higher or lower than those used for final firing, depending on the characteristics of the materials used and the preferences of the potter.
- Glazing and decorating.
After bisque-firing the wares may be coated with a layer of glaze, often applied by dipping.
O’Neil - Second or glaze firing. The glazed wares are re-fired to melt the glaze and bond it to the clay body, thus forming a glassy covering on the surface of the pieces.
- Enamelling. Glazed wares are sometimes decorated with coloured enamels and re-fired in a glaze kiln or muffle-furnace.
INTERACTIVE ZONE –
There are many different simple methods of making pottery such as the slab contstruction method in which the sides or slabs of clay are cut out and then put together to form a piece of pottery or usually a box. Coil construction, which is when you make the coils and put them one on top of the other in a circular fashion to create the piece of pottery. The simplest method by far is the pinch pot method. It is useful for getting the feel of your clay and knowing what limits you are working with.
The pinch pot method is a simple three steps. The first step is to roll your clay into a ball. After this you carefully press your thumb in the middle as you “pull up the sides”. Turn the piece as you pull the sides up to ensure evenness all around. The final step is to gently pat the bottom on a flat surface to create a bottom for your piece. There you have it.
Conclusion :


Order of Events

Introduction – – 30 secs
What is pottery? –– 1 min
Types of pottery –
- earthenware –
- ceramic –
- stoneware –
Tools used in making pottery –
Making pottery then – * narrates and * acts out.
Making pottery now –reads and _________ acts out.
Interactive Zone – 1 min
Conclusion –
Props Needed :

- Cartridge paper charts
- Water bowl
- Spray pottle to “glaze”
- Kiln
- Pottery
- Clay samples
- Clay for 36 people
- Rock for crushing in bowl